Former President Donald Trump is upset that the media doesn't focus more attention on how many people were part of the large crowd that attended the "Stop the Steal" rally where he spoke on January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. just ahead of the U.S. Capitol attack.
Trump spoke at the rally just over a year ago at The Ellipse near the White House, promoting the conspiracy theory that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" in favor of President Joe Biden. During his speech, Trump told his supporters to march toward the U.S. Capitol and to "fight like hell," saying they would lose their country if they did not do so.
Images and videos showed that thousands were in attendance, and Trump told right-wing television network OAN in an interview this week that the crowd size has been "censored" by the media.
"The crowd itself was the biggest crowd I've ever—and I've spoken before the biggest crowds—the biggest crowd I've ever spoken by far, by numerous times I think," the former president said.
"Nobody ever shows the pictures of that," he lamented.
"The real number I won't say because it'll be a headline, 'Oh, he exaggerated the number.' The real number was over that sacred number—you know what that number was, right?" Trump continued.
He complained that the the U.S. has "such a dishonest press," adding, "Why don't they show the real crowd that was there on January 6—the crowd of people that was the biggest I've ever seen?"
Trump claimed that you can't find pictures of the rally crowd, adding, "They have censored the pictures."
Newsweek can confirm that there are many pictures of the "Stop the Steal" rally crowd available to download on Getty Images and other photo services. Images of the large crowd can also be found using a simple Google search. Newsweek reached out to Trump's press office for further comment but did not immediately receive a response.
The Associated Press previously reported that there were at least 10,000 people in attendance at the rally by the early afternoon of that day. While that is certainly a large crowd, many Trump events across the country have drawn well over 10,000 supporters in the past.
Trump boasted about the January 6 crowd size during a December interview with key right-wing Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage on GB News. "It was a massive rally with hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people. I think it was the largest crowd I've ever spoken to before," he said in that interview.
Just after Trump spoke at the "Stop the Steal" rally, hundreds of his supporters—many believing they were following his direct orders—stormed the U.S. Capitol in an apparent effort to disrupt the formal certification of Biden's Electoral College victory. The crowd was largely animated by the claim that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" from Trump.
Although Trump and his allies continue to promote the allegation, more than 60 election challenge lawsuits filed by the former president and his supporters failed in state and federal courts. Meanwhile, audits and recounts across the country—including in places where the election was overseen by pro-Trump conservatives—have reaffirmed Trump's loss to Biden.
Former Attorney General William Barr, who was widely seen as one of Trump's most loyal Cabinet members, received substantial criticism when he had the Justice Department investigate the allegations in the wake of the 2020 election. However, he confirmed in December 2020 that there was "no evidence" of widespread fraud that would change the election results.
After the presidential race results were confirmed, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the Department of Homeland Security, which was led by a Trump appointee at the time, asserted that the the election had been the "most secure in American history." The agency explained that there was "no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised."
Nevertheless, Trump's claims about a rigged election have resonated with many Republican voters. Polls have repeatedly shown that a large majority of the GOP does not view Biden as the legitimate president. Survey data published by Morning Consult on the anniversary of the Capitol attack Thursday showed that just 35 percent of Republicans have "some" trust in the U.S. election system—down from 43 percent a year ago.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jason Lemon is a Weekend Editor at Newsweek based in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to taking on the editor role, Jason's reporting focused on ... Read more
